Recent Accident Car Write-offs

Lwill05 on 07/09/2023 - 10:49

So recently my car was involved in small accident. It wasn’t major but the vehicle behind me go smashed bad. Thanks to my towbar nothing happened to me/ other passenger at rear. We went all insurance process and was told my car is write-off.
I am certainly not happy about it. I love my car, and it pleasantly served me last 10 years mostly work to home and back plus those good memories. The most luxurious feature it had was Bluetooth calling and I was satisfied. In fact, believe the less features you got the more you focus on road while driving.

Anyways I will go through the write-off, but I am unsure about the value of car. both mechanic and very well-known insurance company seems incompetent. Surprisingly my claim is being handled in another country where most of the call centers are located. I don’t know why Aussies can’t handle claims and all. Coming to mechanic, it was smashed from the rear bumper, hitting silencer bent over as a result bad smoke. But as I have said has to go through write-off.

Any chance I could get 2nd opinion about it? I don’t want to spend my time on it unless insurance give another go AND how can I find write-off value ?

Automotive

Comments

  • sumyungguy on 07/09/2023 - 10:52
    +2

    Request a copy of the repair quote, get a second (cheaper) quote (from a local independent repairer) and ask the insurer if they will repair instead of writing-off. I did this recently and saved an otherwise decent car from getting scrapped.

    • HeWhoKnows on 08/09/2023 - 08:43
      -1

      If OP got rear ended its the responsibilty of the driver behind to make good all the damage.
      OP need do nothing at all if his car wasnt damaged

      • sumyungguy on 08/09/2023 - 08:55

        If OP does nothing, car gets written off.

        • HeWhoKnows on 08/09/2023 - 17:43

          No. OP needs to lodge a claim for damage.
          If no damage then OP should not make a claim

        • will05 on 04/10/2023 - 15:51

          yeah, basically insurance went overseas and locals are lazy repairing , so regretful write-off

    • TeamSAXON on 08/09/2023 - 10:16
      +1

      Wish I'd known this years ago. My sister had her car written off for a small dent in the rear. My car was written off and taken by my insurer since "you made a claim and the car was deemed a write off so we will take ownership of the car". I hate insurance companies since that day onwards. They are scams.

      • sumyungguy on 08/09/2023 - 15:28

        Often the owner is happy with a write-off but there are always exceptions. I reckon it's a great sustainability initiative to repair cars where possible and save them going to scrap.

        • will05 on 04/10/2023 - 16:05

          yes you're right, its sad to let go cars and especially in this mareket will have to wait further buy another outta pocket too

      • HeWhoKnows on 08/09/2023 - 17:44
        +1

        Seen this many times

    • will05 on 04/10/2023 - 16:07

      they were far too lazy in every manner, big name big shame 😒

  • Mechz on 07/09/2023 - 10:54
    +4

    Get examples of your model car from carsales websites where the km and condition is very close, that should be how much you're getting back unless you have an agreed value policy.

  • pegaxs on 07/09/2023 - 10:54
    +2

    If you are not at fault, then you have the option to not use your insurance and get a quote from another smash repairer and pass this quote and a letter of demand onto the other owner. What they choose to do with this is up to them. It is not up to their insurance company to write your car off. But, in saying this, your car may still be damaged far in excess of its replacement value. If this is the case, they will make an offer to buy you out.

    Now, if they make an offer to buy you out, then it has to be a fair market value or replacement value for your vehicle. What you need to do is to find other examples similar to your vehicle and what these vehicle are priced at on average. If the other parties insurer tries to lowball you on your vehicle (and they 100% will), tell them that if they can find a vehicle that is similar to yours (make/model/features/colour/km/service history/etc…) for the price they are offering then you are happy for them to buy it and give it to you, if not, they need to make a reasonable offer. But on that note, don't make stupid comparisons or ask for something you are not going to get (but it was my late mother's last car, it's irreplaceable, I want $1million for her Honda Civic.)

    • will05 on 07/09/2023 - 11:11
      +1

      No I wasn't at fault at all, thanks to my tow bar, but felt bad for the fella behind me. had his sports car smashed since he was speending in traffic.I always see people on most famous m4 church st exit never imagined myself.

      What you need to do is to find other examples similar to your vehicle and what these vehicle are priced at on average?
      to tell you the truth, I bought this ford kuga ambiente suv model hail-damaged from another state. little dent on body but absolutely sexy driving on road. and as I have said mostly used for work that's all. never bothered on features as the best I got car bluetooth.
      the only problem I got is market is bit crazy at the moment. Even Nissan micra & Holden captiva is showing off ha ha.
      most of all it takes me a little time adopt another car too.

      • spackbace on 07/09/2023 - 12:42
        +1

        I bought this ford kuga ambiente suv model hail-damaged from another state.

        Does insurance know it's hail damaged?

      • bobbified on 07/09/2023 - 12:49
        +2

        ford kuga ambiente suv model hail-damaged from another state. little dent on body but absolutely sexy driving on road

        A ford kuga is sexy? Sure you don't have a cougar instead?

  • Muzeeb on 07/09/2023 - 10:54
    +3

    I'm guessing it's a financial write off. Will cost more to repair than the car is worth.

    It may be an option to buy the car back with your payout and repair it cheaper outside of insurance.

    Thanks to my towbar nothing happened to me

    Well that doesn't appear to be the case.

    • PeterSnoot on 08/09/2023 - 07:48
      +2

      From that, I assumed that he meant no personal injury.

  • Hellfire on 07/09/2023 - 10:54

    You can find a indicative value on Redbook although the insurer may offer more or less. If you can find a few examples on CarSales of similar cars you might be able to negotiate but those are asking prices and not sold prices.

    Older cars are easily written off because of their low value and relatively high cost of repairs.

    You may be able to purchase the wreck and get it repaired yourself.

  • Sal in SA on 07/09/2023 - 10:58
    +3

    "I don’t know why Aussies can’t handle claims and all"

    Oh they can, but most Aussies are cheap and don't want the extra costs of local wages etc added onto the premiums. So in order to be competitive they need to find ways to keep costs down - and as our wages are so high for unskilled work (phone monkey), outsourcing is the best viable option.

    So customers do value quality and local contacts and will pay more for such service, but when folks shop around for the cheapest - quality is always what is sacrificed.

    • will05 on 07/09/2023 - 11:23

      Hi Sal, I understand but car claims very rigorous process too.

  • JimB on 07/09/2023 - 11:07
    +1

    If they are going to write it off, ask your insurance for a payout and if you can buy the car back and repair yourself.

  • brendanm on 07/09/2023 - 11:12
    +9

    If it has been punched in the towbar, it has likely bent the chassis rails. This is why it's a write off even though it may not look too bad.

    Are you going through your insurance or the other parties? Do you have agreed value it market value?

    Edit - oh, I see you have a previously hail damaged kuga. Does it still have the hail damage? Was it a repairable write off from the hail damage? If yes to either/both of these questions, the value is going to be extremely low.

    • will05 on 07/09/2023 - 11:30

      I am going through other party's insurance
      back in time hail damage was nothing but a scam , yes it has hail damage still which never bothered me.

      the value is going to be extremely low - so half of car sales value ?

      • blitz on 07/09/2023 - 12:43
        +1

        the value is going to be extremely low - so half of car sales value ?

        keep going…

        • will05 on 04/10/2023 - 16:00

          well sorry but you wayyyy too wrong
          I made a sugary profit after w-off 😍
          but than you for your input.

      • Muzeeb on 07/09/2023 - 13:26
        +3

        hail damage was nothing but a scam

        Ok. If you insist.

        • will05 on 04/10/2023 - 15:53

          yeah bought 2nd one, nothing wrong honestly driving around with little dents one could cover with stickers on it

      • brendanm on 07/09/2023 - 14:27
        +2

        Ok, was it a repairable write off for hail damage? Just hail damage alone is going to make it way under half "retail" value. A repairable write off, and hail damage, makes it almost 0 value.

        • 2esc on 08/09/2023 - 08:48

          Buying a repairable write off for hail can be a good buy. A friend who's handy did the dent free repair on a car he bought at auction and out of more than 30 hail dents only 3 were still noticeable if you looked closely.

          • brendanm on 08/09/2023 - 10:18

            @2esc: Not how insurance looks at it though. They will see that the car is valued at $X. They will then drop the value a lot, $Y for being a repairable write off. They will then take off the repair value of the pre-existing damage, $Z. This will give them the sum $X-$Y-$Z=payout. Payout will be very low.

  • Drakesy on 07/09/2023 - 11:13
    +1

    Scroll through carsales/gumtree/marketplace, find a few cars that are similar, send it through to the insurance company asking for that.

  • Euphemistic on 07/09/2023 - 11:31
    +5

    Is my comprehension poor or the wording of the OP. Car not damaged because towbar doesn’t compute with car damages and silencer bent bad smoke?

    Either way, at fault party should compensate you for your losses be that repair value or replacement value.

  • Almost Banned on 07/09/2023 - 11:34

    Just going through this myself.
    Had a cute little Astra Bertone convertible damaged and they wrote it off even though the damage seemed fairly limited. The agreed value was not high so it didn't take much damage to make it uneconomic.
    Just note that not only will they deduct your excess from the payout figure - they will also deduct any unpaid installments against the annual premium. We were only three months into the insurance so they are going to deduct nine months of installments - even though the insurance is now cancelled and we could have terminated at any time.
    When the payout is not particularly large that can make a bit of a dent in the sum.

    • will05 on 07/09/2023 - 11:46
      +1

      deduct nine months of installments - wow, aren't they something huh?

      But I am not at fault going through other party's insurance
      the only thing I want is 2nd opinon because I love my car

    • billy72 on 07/09/2023 - 12:16
      +2

      They have the right to deduct unpaid instalments because they have fulfilled their responsibility of the premium contract. It's in every PDS.

      • Almost Banned on 07/09/2023 - 16:16
        +1

        The issue is that it is easy to forget that although you are only paying month to month and can freely cancel at any time, it is an annual contract.
        The problem is that if you have an agreed value as I did, if you have the vehicle written off at the end of the annual term - no real deduction. But if it is written off early in the term - your agreed value takes a decent hit from the additional deductions.
        Something to be aware of.

  • try2bhelpful on 07/09/2023 - 11:41

    It is the problem with having a car that is relatively old and has a low book value. Just about any accident is likely to write it off because it is only worth a few thousand dollars. We have a fairly old Mercedes A class, but it has low kms and is garaged most of the time. It probably has quite a few kms left in it but I’m sure they will write it off if we have an accident because the parts, and repair, will be worth more than the car.

  • billy72 on 07/09/2023 - 12:05

    With the current market, a write-off at market price will be the better option for you if you don't have an agreed price. Sometimes, the damages are minimal but all involved costs are substantial ( hire car etc.). Also, it's a nightmare to follow up with the repair process. So just accept the write-off, relax and wait for them to offer a number. If you disagree, collect 3 examples of cars that are selling at higher prices on well-known platforms like Carsale and send them. The important point is you should calculate the amount you have to spend in buying a replaced car plus (including time and effort) and never accept an offer below that amount.

    Also, if you have a mechanic friend and time, you can consider buying back your written-off car at a salvage price (usually very cheap) and fix it yourself and continue to use it.

  • spackbace on 07/09/2023 - 12:45
    +2

    2013 Ford Kuga Ambiente - $10,000 - $18,990

    A note that these cars don't have hail damage, something which will significantly affect the value (especially if on the PPSR).

    • will05 on 08/09/2023 - 15:33

      Thanks

    • will05 on 04/10/2023 - 15:54

      yup landed perfect, infact made a profit too :)

  • pharkurnell on 07/09/2023 - 13:40
    +1

    … hitting silencer bent over as a result bad smoke.

    This indicates there is far more wrong with it than you can see. Thus not worth repairing for the amount to bring it back to roadworthy + lifetime repair warranty.

    • PeterSnoot on 08/09/2023 - 07:52
      +2

      Isn't the OP talking about damage to his firearm here?

  • Muzeeb on 07/09/2023 - 16:36
    +3

    Sexy Kuga, Cute Astra - what am I missing here?

    • will05 on 07/09/2023 - 22:12

      people just love their car he he

  • 82norm on 08/09/2023 - 08:18
    +1

    Can I get some clarification on following….”then hitting silencer bent over as a result bad smoke.”

  • LFO on 08/09/2023 - 10:27
    +1

    From a real life experience:

    After the vehicle was written off and the monies paid the owner was able to BUY the vehicle as a written-off vehicle and put on a tow truck for delivery (cannot legally drive that vehicle)
    Then (minimals) repairs where done, pass all rego inspections and car was back serving the original owner.

    Have no details on how to "buy" a written-off car from the insurer so needs further research contacting your insurer.

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